1. Field
This invention relates generally to handgun holsters, and is concerned in particular with strap or hood locking mechanisms designed to secure the handguns in the holsters while providing quick access to the handguns.
2. Description of Related Art
Locking devices employing hoods or straps (“hood/strap”) are known, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,381 (Rogers et al.). Here, the hood/strap must first be pushed downward to unlock the device, and then pushed forward to rotate it away from its securing position over the holstered handgun. Such devices have numerous drawbacks, not the least of which is the danger that the device can be unlocked inadvertently by a downward and forward impact against the prominently positioned hood/strap, or worse by an assailant grabbing the handgun with a “raking” motion.
In an attempt at minimizing such drawbacks, and as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,341 (Clifton), releasable blocking mechanisms have been added to either prevent rotation of the hood/strap after it has been pushed downwardly, or to prevent the hood or strap from being initially pushed downwardly.
When intentionally drawing a handgun restrained by such prior art devices, the user's hand must land on the top of the hood/strap, push it down and forward, and then reach back to grip the handgun and draw it out of the holster. This two step procedure is suboptimal when the user is confronted with an urgent situation. Another, perhaps faster, procedure is to grip the butt of the handgun and place the thumb on a land fashioned into the side of the hood/strap. To draw the handgun, the thumb first pushes the land down to draw the hood/strap downward into the unlocked position, and then the thumb drives the hood/strap forward, rotating it free of the handgun. This draw method is also suboptimal because the palm of the hand is pulled awkwardly away from the butt of the handgun as the thumb is used to drive the hood/strap forward into the disengaged position. Although the hand remains, generally, in closer proximity to the butt of the weapon, the user must still shift the palm of the hand back down to re-grip the handgun, compromising the stability of user's hand at this critical moment. Additionally, the user's thumb must slide uncomfortably across the surface of the hood/strap's thumb land as they rotate in relationship to each other as the hood/strap pivots.
Another drawback with such prior art devices stems from the positioning of the pivot point of the hood/strap directly beneath the hood/strap. This is problematic because this relationship immediately starts to draw the leading edge of the hood/strap downward as it begins its pivot forward from its location in vertical alignment with the pivot point. If the handgun is not fully inserted into the holster in such a manner that it is in contact with the hood/strap, the handgun must first be pushed farther down into the holster to create enough clearance for the hood/strap to start its rotation.
Known hood/strap locking mechanisms also are prone to being fouled by clothing. Heavy shirts, coats, and the like can restrict access to the release buttons while bunching up between the holster and the wearer's body. For soldiers, mounting these hood/strap based holsters on body armor is particularly problematic. The hard, unyielding surface of armor plating can interfere with the rotating hood or the operation of release buttons when the holster is securely mounted against it. A suboptimal prior art solution for these tendencies is to install a large auxiliary shield between the holster retention mechanisms and the wearer; these contrivances are expensive and prone to snagging in unwanted ways.